Musk announced at his startup’s annual press conference on Wednesday that Neuralink could place the implant in a human brain within six months. The interface made by Neuralink will make it possible to communicate with computers directly through thought.
“Obviously we want to be extremely careful and make sure it’s working well before we put a device in a human,” Musk said, but “I think we’ve submitted most of our paperwork to the FDA.”
First implants in animals
The 51-year-old billionaire is known for announcing ambitious goals for his companies, some of which never materialized. Even now, Neuralink is behind schedule: Musk announced in July 2019 that he could conduct the first tests on humans the following year.
However, until now, roughly coin-sized prototypes have only been placed in animals. The Neuralink presentation showed monkeys using the brain chip to “play” simple video games or move a cursor on the screen.
Implants in the spinal cord and eyes
Musk wants to use interfaces to cure neurological diseases. The startup is currently developing other implants to be placed in the spinal cord or eyes to restore mobility or vision. But his primary goal, according to Musk, is to ensure that people are not intellectually overwhelmed by systems with artificial intelligence.
Neuralink isn’t the only company working on brain-computer interfaces. In July, competitor Synchron announced that it had become the first company to implant a corresponding chip in a US patient’s brain.
(AFP)